This 8-Year-Old Refugee From Nigeria Has Just Won A Chess Championship In New York

People frequently use the saying: “Practice makes perfect!” And for a lot of champions that is actually true. Despite the fact that some of them put everything they got into becoming the greatest at the things that they love, some people can just come and take all that away from them with much less practice and learning, as this eight-year-old refugee is going to do.

Image Source: The Ninja Journalist

They had it Tough

Have you ever thought about how would you feel if you were in the middle of a warzone? Well, the six-year-old Tanitoluwa felt like that all the time with his parents, his father Kayode and his mom Oluwatoyin Adewumi. They feared for their lives in their homeland – Nigeria. So, they decided to leave, and head to the USA. And, despite the fact that they managed to get to New York, USA they still ended up in a homeless shelter. They have been living there ever since they got to New York.

Getting into the Game

Tani, how they call him now, has started going to a local school where he decided to start learning the secrets of chess. He immediately started loving the game, and it seemed fun to him, and a couple of classes after, he was already begging his mom to sign him up into the chess club. Lucky for Tani, Oluwatoyin decided to do that, and she immediately started taking her son to the practice on Saturdays.

Image Source: The Ninja Journalist

Entering his First Chess Tournament

Tani loved playing chess. In fact, he enjoyed it so much that after his practices in the chess club, he would get on his father’s laptop and start practicing there. Tani did all of his school work before he sat down on the computer of course. It didn’t take him long before he decided to enter his first ever chess tournament. But, things were looking pretty bad for the kid. Out of all the competitors there, he got the lowest rating. And, if it weren’t for his determination and consistency, the boy wouldn’t have been able to get to where he got…

Finally Getting There!

As we mentioned before, the consistency and the determination that the young kid had, pulled him through. Namely, he got into another tournament, but this time, things were pretty different. Everything seemed to go his way, and he managed to get the highest score out of all the competitors there. He got the first place prize, and he left the tournament undefeated. And, thanks to his determination and consistency, Tani got one of the biggest trophies that he has ever seen.

Helping the Family Improve their Lives

Tani’s trainer, Russel Makofsky, has been working tirelessly alongside his student. Russell said that he has never noticed an improvement as significant as Tani’s in his year’s training chess. And now, that he saw the potential that Tani has, the coach is willing to help the family with all the things that they need help with. He evens started a GoFundMe page in order to help the family raise the money they need to get their new house in New York. And up until now, Russell has made well over 180000 bucks.

Getting away from the warzone in Nigeria, and getting to safety in New York was one of the best moves that the family could’ve done. And, after getting over his first roadblock, Tani showed that with some dedication and consistency it’s not that hard to make your dreams become a reality. He has made it twice, why don’t you try to do it?!